Greetings from NE Philadelphia!

[Chainlube]

Sure, but that's 'Assembly', not build from scratch... I can 'assemble' anything given the right tools. Building from parts from the ground up? I feel like Johnny Cash's character from the song "I got it one piece at a time".

"The frame turned out to be an '83 but the wheels were for a '19, and no matter how hard I tried, the frame just wouldn't accept them..."

Parts for sale! LOTS of Parts for sale! touch base with me at conrynsilverleaf@gmail.com or (267)367-7001

A lot of frames can be stretched.

 

[writingscifi65]

I would like to see the frame?

Sorry, but it's gone. I had the nurse's aide drop it on the curb yesterday afternoon, and it was gone within an hour. Basically, it was a Shogun 23" mtb. Supposedly rare. Cost me $100 off of eBay. At least the seller was local to me (Drexel Hill). I have a 1994 Schwinn High Plains SUPPOSEDLY coming from Wisconsin, but it's lost in mail limbo at the distribution hub here in Philly.

The problem I keep running into is, the mag wheels I got from Bikeberry, with 7 speed freewheel, are 5.5 inches wide, but the frame spread from dropout to dropout (on both the Shogun and the Schwinn) is only 5", and you can't spread the frame. And no, I didn't think to measure the frames before I went searching for them, simply because more modern and newer mtb frames (things made in THIS millennia) were priced outside of my willingness to buy (Over $300), which is why I went looking at older mtb's.

 

[writingscifi65]

Here's the link to the one lost in USPS limbo: https://www.ebay.com/itm/124356297160

 

[Wrench]

The problem I keep running into is, the mag wheels I got from Bikeberry, with 7 speed freewheel, are 5.5 inches wide, but the frame spread from dropout to dropout (on both the Shogun and the Schwinn) is only 5", and you can't spread the frame.

I've run into the problem of not enough clearance when mounting wheels. But I've never had Mags with a 7 speed freewheel
What I did was, and maybe what you can do is, shave the hub hardware (Jam nut's) down to get the 1/2" clearance ya need.
Maybe you can buy thinner locknuts (jam nuts)? If your wheel will still work, Locknuts (jam nuts) as thin as 1/8" can be bought
Also if there are any spacers that can be shaved down you can gain some clearance that way too.
IDK if this Idea can work with your 7 speed freewheel, It's just a suggestion

 

[Chainlube]

That frame can be stretched, if it was aluminum maybe not. Give me a minute and I'll see if I can dig up a tutoral.